On Thursday, a group namely ‘Dr Abdullah Azzam Brigade’ had claimed responsibility for the attack. The Azzam Brigade, based in Orakzai tribal region, is affiliated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and is named after the fiery Palestinian scholar, Dr Abdullah Yusuf Azzam, who was killed in a car-bomb blast in Peshawar’s University Town on Nov 24, 1989.

On Friday, the TTP came forward to claim credit for the atrocious attack.

‘We claim responsibility for the blast,’ TTP spokesman Azam Tariq said in a telephone call from an unknown location.

‘This is our first response since the death of our chief Baitullah Mehsud,’ Tariq told AFP. ‘We will continue similar attacks in the future also.’

He said ‘the victims of the suicide attack were all those supporting the United States. Anybody supporting the US is our enemy.’ — AFP

Ibrahim Shinwari adds from Landi Kotal: Twenty-two Khasadar personnel who were killed in Thursday’s suicide attack were buried in Brag and Karamna villages of Bazaar-Zakakhel area on Friday.

No official from the Khyber Agency’s political administration attended the funeral.